entertainment tv extravaganzas. they have since the 1960 kennedy/nixon debate. it became a televised event. richard nixon won if you listened on radio, but if you saw the body language on tv, it was kennedy who won. there was a period of time there were no presidential debates. 1964, '68, '72, none. but back in 1976 these debates came on again. they can be game changers. 1980, ronald reagan was where romney was, behind in the polls. reagan came on and took on an incumbent president, jim cia why ther, performed well in the debates and the rest is history. it started him on his way to a landslide victory in 1980. >> do you think debates actually help voters decide which person to back if they're on the fence as to which direction to go? >> i think they make a difference, particularly for mitt romney. look, barack obama, whether you love him or dislike him, think he's a great leader or think he's failed, we kind of know what he's going to be like as president. we've had him for 3 1/2 years. mitt romney is still an open book. people have to say, do i want to live with this guy every day? is he